Chris Countiss named 2016 Sunrise Signature Chef

On Tuesday, Sunrise hosted the fourth annual Senior Eats™ Nutritional Challenge at The Fairfax, a Sunrise community in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

Five chefs from Sunrise communities across the U.S. competed in the cook-off competition. Chris Countiss, chef at Sunrise of Severna Park, MD, was crowned the winner and the 2016 Sunrise Signature Chef, based on tallied resident votes.

Chris, who has worked in the kitchen at Sunrise of Severna Park for the last four years, began his culinary career at an early age working for his father, Executive Chef Ezra Countiss. While still in high school, Chris completed an apprenticeship with Master Chef Joachim Buchner at the Bethesda Chevy Chase Country Club. He then went on to attend the Culinary Institute of America in 2006 and graduated from the Anne Arundel Community College HCAT program in 2008. Check out the recipe for his delicious (and now award-winning!) dish for Chilled Crab Salad over Cucumber “Pasta” below, packed with nutritious ingredients that lend themselves to many health benefits.

Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, dill and chives. Set aside. Use the julienne setting on a mandolin to cut the cucumbers into thin “noodles.”Toss the cucumbers with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Combine the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, scallions, celery and mustard powder. Add dill and Old Bay to taste. Gently fold the crab meat into the dressing trying not to break up the crab. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Drain the cucumber noodles. Arrange on appropriate serving plates into round nests with a hole in the center. Gently spoon 3 ounces of crab salad into the hole of each nest. Garnish with dill. Serve with crostini and lemon wedge on the side.

What makes this dish particularly healthy? Crab is high in vitamin B12, which helps support normal brain function, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and produce healthy red blood cells. Crab also contains the mineral chromium. Chromium enhances the action of insulin, making crab a good choice for diabetics as it may help control blood sugar levels. Cucumbers are a good source of vitamins B1, B7, C and K, and copper, potassium, manganese, phosphorus and magnesium. High water content also makes cucumbers a great source of hydration.